The Modified El Presidente Drill

Multiple-target drills are great practice when you want to improve on transitioning from one target to the next, just like you would when faced with multiple attackers. Furthermore, when your targets are set at different distances, you learn how to obtain a sight picture quickly and control your shot cadence based on range to the target. That’s why we think the modified El Presidente Drill can be useful for improving accuracy and control for any shooter.

One of the most famous multiple target drills was made so by Gunsite founder Col. Jeff Cooper. It’s called the El Presidente. Police Firearm Instructor, Richard Mann, recently shared his modifications to the drill using what he learned in the field and from other shooters. The modified El Presidente drill goes as follows:

Place a silhouette target at 3 yards, one at 5 yards, and one at 7 yards. Space them 5 feet apart laterally.

Start by standing in front of the right or left target, engage each target with two shots working from the closest to the farthest.

Move laterally about 10 feet to cover, reload and repeat the drill from behind cover.

Completing this drill in less than 10 seconds with all kill zone hits demonstrates a high level of proficiency. Times between 12 and 18 seconds with no misses will be average. Run this drill twice at the end of each practice session. Use it as a standard evaluation exercise and over time you’ll see improvement in each skill the drill targets. Take your total time and add five seconds for every miss. Add the times from both runs together and divide by two to get your score.